Amai Mask

"This birthday has been absolutely amazing" he said wrapping his arms around my waist and putting his chin just above my right shoulder. "Bub, we barely just started" I chuckled. "Yeah but just looking at this beautiful view with you is more than enough to make me happy" he stated. I smiled then turned around so I'm facing him. I pulled down our mask since there weren't anyone else around. I gave him a kiss on the lips. "You realize how much I love you, right?" I said. He smiled. "How much do you love me?" he asked cheekily. "If I'm being honest, I love you more than love itself" I started making him smile wide. "I love you more than how much I love the scent of vanilla" I said. "I love you more than how much I love the moon and the stars" I continued. "I love you more than how much I love listening to music" I added. "Lastly, I love you more than I can ever love myself" I confessed. He looked at me lovingly. "Brielle" he said softly. "Yes?" I replied. "Will you marry me?" he asked. My heart skipped a beat. "Yes" I said. _ Gabrielle Margareth Rivero is a multi-talented woman. She travels thousands of kilometers away from home to work and achieve her dreams. What she thought was going to be a simple, laid-back and independent life in another country becomes one full with modelling, acting and guesting offers after her name ends up on the news. But then , her plan to stay single for who knows how long ends up in the gutter when she suddenly meets the guy of her dreams; Theodore King, a superstar and billionaire with the visual and charisma of a God and a heart of an angel.

The hospital's latest intern, Lindsey Clark, is very pretty, but she's a total idiot as well. When my mom came to the hospital for a prescription, she swapped the vitamin C for potassium supplements, which were known to be very poisonous if misused. Mom, who was fresh out of surgery, suffered from heavy bleeding right after taking the medication. She died on the same night. Before I could hold Lindsey responsible for Mom's death, the latter quickly piped up with teary eyes, "I'm so sorry, Dr. Monroe! I just thought that potassium supplements can help your mother heal faster…" Even Michael Jones, my husband, who's the hospital director, takes her side. "Your mom only had her idiocy to blame! She died because she took the wrong medication! How dare you drag Lindsey into this!" I was so furious that my cardiac arrest was triggered on the spot. Soon, I was sent into the operating room. Lindsey said she wanted to redeem herself by taking on the post as Michael's assistant in the surgery. But her hands kept trembling even when she tried to thread the suture needle. In the end, she took off her mask and picked up the suture with her teeth. Just like that, she used her saliva to wet the suture end. One day later, I died in the ICU due to a case of severe infection. When my spirit was about to fade away, I heard Lindsey crying sadly. "If it wasn't for my idiocy, Dr. Monroe wouldn't have died!" Michael just patted her dotingly on the head in return. "Having medical risks in a surgical operation is completely normal. You're still young, so stop blaming yourself already." Mom and I were cremated instantly, seeing as Michael intended to cover up our deaths. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Lindsey has just gotten recruited by the hospital.

A month before the SATs, I, Jenny Reid, could see my score. Literally. It was just floating right above my head. But there was a catch. Every time I cracked open a prep book, my score would drop by ten points. But if I skipped a day of school? It jumped right back up by ten. So, I played the system. For a whole month, I barely lifted a finger. And on the day of the test, the number glowing over my head was a solid 1560. When the scores finally dropped online… I'd scored a 500. And the 1560? That was my little sister Patricia's score. My parents lost it. As punishment, they got me a grueling night-shift job at a local electronics factory. That first night, a bunch of guys I'd never seen before cornered me in the parking lot and beat me half to death. Fading in and out of consciousness, I heard my sister's voice right by my ear. "You just had to one-up me, didn't you? Thought you were so smart… but you never figured out I was the one controlling that number over your head." The truth hit me like a physical blow. The score had been her trick all along. I opened my eyes—and I was back. One month before the SATs. The number above my head read exactly 1300. "Hey," my sister said, all fake sweetness. "Want to study together tonight? We can go over the practice tests." I looked at the stack of papers in my own hands. Without a word, I pulled out my lighter and set them on fire right there in the driveway. "Exams are coming," I said, watching the flames. "I'm not studying." My score ticked up to 1310. My sister's face was this perfect mask of disappointment, but the second I turned away, I caught the sly smile she couldn't quite hide. She had no idea… the real performance, the one I'd been rehearsing just for her, was finally about to begin.

Living alone was hard for Kestrel being a working student. Kailangan niya ng pera upang masustentuhan ang sariling mga pangangailangan. Kahit mahirap at nahihirapan siya. He wants to live independently. He wants to stand alone by his own feet. Ayaw na niyang umasa sa magulang dahil may mga kanya-kanyang pamilya ang mga ito. Ayaw niyang umasa sa mga ito dahil kung ano-ano ang naririnig niya sa mga anak ng magulang niya. Kestrel was a fruit of a forbidden love kaya ganon na lamang siya kamuhian ng dapat ay pamilya niya. That's why he decided to live alone even if it's hard. One night, after his shift, Kestrel decided to walk his way home pero may mga lalaking nakaitim ang humarang at dinakip siya. Sinubukan niyang magpumiglas at humingi ng tulong sa paraan ng pagsigaw ngunit pinatulog lamang siya ng mga ito at ipinasok sa van. Nagising na lamang siya sa isang hindi pamilyar na lugar at suot ang bagong damit. He's in a lady’s gown and heels. Ang hanggang balikat niyang buhok ay nakalugay na. At ang mga paa't kamay na nakagapos at bibig na may tela. Kaba, takot at gutom ang nararamdaman ni Kest. Nang lumiwanag ang paligid, doon niya nalamang nasa isang auction house siya at pinakilala na siya bilang isang rare item hanggang sa nagsimula ang bidding. Habang pataas ng pataas ang bid ay siyang pagtaas ng kanyang kaba at takot. Napalinga-linga siya at biglang tumama ang paningin niya sa lalaking may gintong maskara na nakaupo sa isang sulok. Nagmamakaawa niya itong tiningnan. Hindi niya alam kung bakit niya ginawa iyon. He's so desperate to get away from that house. Will that guy wearing golden mask help him? Makakaalis kaya siya sa auction? Mababalik pa kaya ang tahimik niyang buhay? Sino ang lalaking may gintong maskara?

Beverly Sinclair and Evan Gray have loved each other for ten years, and they've been married for six. To everyone else, Evan seems madly in love with Beverly. He's devoted, gentle, and basically the perfect husband. But it's only when his mistress shows up at her door that Beverly realizes it was all a cruel joke. He's been cheating for five years, and he even has an illegitimate child. He keeps the other woman right under Beverly's nose, all while wearing the mask of a loving husband. He says he loves her—even more than life itself. But how is this love? Evan hides behind layers of fake affection, dragging everyone around him into the charade, all so he can build the illusion of a perfect marriage. Even Beverly's son has been lying to her. It's a double betrayal from father and son, especially when they act like the mistress is the one who completes the family. Utterly devastated, Beverly decides she's done with this. She returns to her classified team and leaves behind the absurd, hollow life that never truly belonged to her. When the one-month notice period ends, she disappears completely, vanishing from the world without a trace. From that moment on, Evan never sees Beverly again. ... Evan loves Beverly to his core. He was just too afraid to lose her, yet that fear turned their marriage into a tragedy. He thought he hid it well. He thought their marriage was still blissful and that the woman he loved so deeply would never discover the truth. But it's only after Beverly vanishes from his world that he realizes just how wrong he was. Evan breaks down, losing his sanity. He gives up everything. He jumps through hoops and kneels before every god he can find, begging for just one more glance from her. With red eyes and shaking hands, he pleads, "Can you please... love me once more?" However, the truth is that a late apology is worth less than nothing. Beverly already has someone new in her life. There's no place left for Evan or their son.

I, Calista Summers, have been in a secret relationship with Vernon Grayson, the boss of the biggest mafia organization in Merdico for five years. To others, Vernon is the epitome of a perfect gentleman, cold yet aloof, attractive yet abstaining from women. With a net worth in the tens of billions, he holds a lot of power. He has also kept himself scandal-free since the start of time. However, not many know that I am his only exception. I am the team captain of the cheerleading squad at Duke City College. I am known to be brave, straightforward, and passionate about everything. Vernon is a whole decade older than I am. He is mature and dangerous, but those are the exact qualities that draw me to him every time. He always lets me rest my head in his lap while in the back of his limited-edition Rolls-Royce, kisses every inch of my body before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, and takes my breath away in hidden toilet cubicles at major public charity galas. And every time, he's so gentle with me that I keep mistaking his doting on me as his love for me. Yet, he can also get cruel and merciless with me, making me beg and whine at his mercy. As for me, I was really falling for him because Vernon never lets any other woman get close to him. He chooses me every single time, and I believe that's what true love is. However, things change when his first love, Samara Horton, returns from Urop. Vernon starts showing me his cold, aloof side that leaves no room for argument. He stops being gentle with me, his mask falls away to reveal his true colors, and he no longer treats me as his equal who shares his world. At that moment, I finally realize that I am nothing more than a dirty secret he needs to keep hidden from the rest of the world. I am but a pawn that he can easily cast away at his convenience. I choose to put an end to our secret relationship altogether. I leave, taking nothing of his with me except for the baby in my womb. The baby is his heir, but he doesn't even know that he exists.